John Quincy Adams Republican 11 July 1767- 23 February 1848 1825-1829 Vice President: John C. Calhoun John Quincy Adams is certainly something of an unconventional president in that he went largely against the popular sentiments of the time and was given a bad reputation because of a relatively small faction of angry opposition. Yet he is remarkable and distinguished from other unpopular presidents because he still managed to put the country on solid ground, leaving it better off at the end of his administration than it was at the beginning. The second Adams was much more controversial than his Founding Father forebear, and made more of an impression on the American people, for better or for worse. John Quincy Adams deserves a B- for his efforts in office from 1825 to 1829. Theme During the time period of Adams’s presidency, the environment was radically altered and shaped. Adams’s radically progressive domestic policies called for massive public works, such as the various canals that were built during his time in office. Also during this period there was greater interest in both exploring and protecting the environment, due to increased national pride. Evidence of this is the interest in John James Audubon’s Birds of America as well as the artistic Hudson River School that had been going on since the end of the war of 1812. However, this period was not without certain environmental mishaps. The largest, due to so-called ‘environmental imperialism’, was the widespread slaughter of innumerable beavers, river otters and bison in the West by fur trappers blissfully ignorant of the ecological havoc they were causing. In addition, in the rampant westward migration, farmers ruined the soil and land through planting of tobacco, sugar cane and finally Kentucky bluegrass on the expansive prairies as they moved ever further westward. Goals Some of the goals of John Quincy Adams’s presidency were to alleviate the national debt, which he did, leaving the country only $5 billion in debt, whereas the country started off owing $16 billion. Adams strongly believed it was the federal government’s duty to help and improve the American people. He was met with a large amount of dissent regarding these beliefs, especially by Jacksonians and state’s rights proponents. Adams also wanted to relieve some of the sectional tension which had risen to a fever pitch by the time he took office. Adams succeeded in passing quite a few of the American System policies, including the building of several canals, including the Erie as well as the construction of many roads. In contrast with many politicians of his day, Adams was out for the common good, the country as a whole, rather than the separate interests of the sectionalists in the North, South and West. Adams and Congress Adams’s nationalistic views gained him no friends amongst the Congress that was filled with sectionalists and state’s rights supporters. Many of his lofty proposals were dismissed immediately, but quite a few of them got through and in general, many of his policies were successful. One particularly interesting bit of policy was the ‘Tariff of Abominations’, which was posed as something of a joke, which many Jacksonians believed would be shot down as too unbearable by the Northerners. It was, however, passed by the Northerners, and the South balked, South Carolinians even going so far as to call the offending tariff unconstitutional, claiming it their right as citizens to declare it null and void in their state. Even his own vice president, John C Calhoun acted on his disapproval by drafting the South Carolina Exposition to declare the tariff unconstitutional and tyrannical. Adams’s continual seeming disregard for popular opinion and his tendency to simply do what he thought was best for the people made him the enemy and target of Jacksonian supporters. Adams didn’t seem to care about what the public thought, even the public over which he was governing. His continued micromanaging of what seemed to be the domain of state government enraged his opponents, and Southerners were deathly afraid that the nosy Adams would try and intrude on their precious institution of slavery. Positive and Negative Events in Adams’s Administration Perhaps the most positive events in Adams’s presidency were the various internal improvements he made. The numerous canals and roads which Adams oversaw and approved during his administration helped expand America and connect the discrete cities of the North and West into a vast network of commerce and industry. The most negative part of Adam’s presidency is absolutely the Tariff of Abominations. The vast majority of the South and West vehemently disliked it, because it blatantly favored the manufacturing North over the plantations and small farms of the South and West. The West also disliked much of Adams’s land policy because he wanted to limit the wanton speculation of the Western territories, which the Westerners disliked because they wanted free range over the vast expanse of the Western territory, and didn’t approve of Adams trying to rein them in. Precedents Adams’s presidency was remarkable in that he was so disliked, and that his was a presidency in which there was rampant party division and sectionalism. He was a new kind of republican president, who was more interested in the well-being of the nation as a whole and who paid little mind to the turbulent infighting amongst the various regions. His almost complete disregard of public opinion is what made him unpopular amongst even his own party, and he was generally disliked in the public eye. His decision to stifle Westward expansion delayed, but did not prevent the rampant speculation that would lead to the economic downfall of the country. Conclusion Adams was a contrary president, but one who stuck to his morals even when his own integrity was questioned. He went against the popular opinion of the time, causing him to be very unpopular with his Jacksonian rivals. The country at the end of his presidency was better off economically, but worse off socially due to the dreaded Terror of Abominations as well as the rampant sectionalism that only got worse during the course of his presidency. Even though he made some progress in the presidency, his staunch refusal to cooperate with popular opinion was somewhat unconstitutional, and he should have put the wants of the people before his own personal beliefs about what was best for the country. For this he earns a B-.
Adams, John Q. "John Quincy Adams: Inaugural Address." Address. Inauguration. Washington DC. The American Presidency Project. Web. 05 Oct. 2011.
DeGregorio, William A. "John Quincy Adams." The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents. 7th ed. Barricade, 2009. 89-102. Print.
Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, Thomas Andrew Bailey, and Thomas Andrew Bailey. "The Rise of a MAss Democracy." The American Pageant: a History of the Republic. 12th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002. 256-65. Print.
John Quincy Adams
Republican
11 July 1767- 23 February 1848
1825-1829
Vice President: John C. Calhoun
John Quincy Adams is certainly something of an unconventional president in that he went largely against the popular sentiments of the time and was given a bad reputation because of a relatively small faction of angry opposition. Yet he is remarkable and distinguished from other unpopular presidents because he still managed to put the country on solid ground, leaving it better off at the end of his administration than it was at the beginning. The second Adams was much more controversial than his Founding Father forebear, and made more of an impression on the American people, for better or for worse. John Quincy Adams deserves a B- for his efforts in office from 1825 to 1829.
Theme
During the time period of Adams’s presidency, the environment was radically altered and shaped. Adams’s radically progressive domestic policies called for massive public works, such as the various canals that were built during his time in office. Also during this period there was greater interest in both exploring and protecting the environment, due to increased national pride. Evidence of this is the interest in John James Audubon’s Birds of America as well as the artistic Hudson River School that had been going on since the end of the war of 1812. However, this period was not without certain environmental mishaps. The largest, due to so-called ‘environmental imperialism’, was the widespread slaughter of innumerable beavers, river otters and bison in the West by fur trappers blissfully ignorant of the ecological havoc they were causing. In addition, in the rampant westward migration, farmers ruined the soil and land through planting of tobacco, sugar cane and finally Kentucky bluegrass on the expansive prairies as they moved ever further westward.
Goals
Some of the goals of John Quincy Adams’s presidency were to alleviate the national debt, which he did, leaving the country only $5 billion in debt, whereas the country started off owing $16 billion. Adams strongly believed it was the federal government’s duty to help and improve the American people. He was met with a large amount of dissent regarding these beliefs, especially by Jacksonians and state’s rights proponents. Adams also wanted to relieve some of the sectional tension which had risen to a fever pitch by the time he took office. Adams succeeded in passing quite a few of the American System policies, including the building of several canals, including the Erie as well as the construction of many roads. In contrast with many politicians of his day, Adams was out for the common good, the country as a whole, rather than the separate interests of the sectionalists in the North, South and West.
Adams and Congress
Adams’s nationalistic views gained him no friends amongst the Congress that was filled with sectionalists and state’s rights supporters. Many of his lofty proposals were dismissed immediately, but quite a few of them got through and in general, many of his policies were successful. One particularly interesting bit of policy was the ‘Tariff of Abominations’, which was posed as something of a joke, which many Jacksonians believed would be shot down as too unbearable by the Northerners. It was, however, passed by the Northerners, and the South balked, South Carolinians even going so far as to call the offending tariff unconstitutional, claiming it their right as citizens to declare it null and void in their state. Even his own vice president, John C Calhoun acted on his disapproval by drafting the South Carolina Exposition to declare the tariff unconstitutional and tyrannical.
Adams’s continual seeming disregard for popular opinion and his tendency to simply do what he thought was best for the people made him the enemy and target of Jacksonian supporters. Adams didn’t seem to care about what the public thought, even the public over which he was governing. His continued micromanaging of what seemed to be the domain of state government enraged his opponents, and Southerners were deathly afraid that the nosy Adams would try and intrude on their precious institution of slavery.
Positive and Negative Events in Adams’s Administration
Perhaps the most positive events in Adams’s presidency were the various internal improvements he made. The numerous canals and roads which Adams oversaw and approved during his administration helped expand America and connect the discrete cities of the North and West into a vast network of commerce and industry.
The most negative part of Adam’s presidency is absolutely the Tariff of Abominations. The vast majority of the South and West vehemently disliked it, because it blatantly favored the manufacturing North over the plantations and small farms of the South and West. The West also disliked much of Adams’s land policy because he wanted to limit the wanton speculation of the Western territories, which the Westerners disliked because they wanted free range over the vast expanse of the Western territory, and didn’t approve of Adams trying to rein them in.
Precedents
Adams’s presidency was remarkable in that he was so disliked, and that his was a presidency in which there was rampant party division and sectionalism. He was a new kind of republican president, who was more interested in the well-being of the nation as a whole and who paid little mind to the turbulent infighting amongst the various regions. His almost complete disregard of public opinion is what made him unpopular amongst even his own party, and he was generally disliked in the public eye. His decision to stifle Westward expansion delayed, but did not prevent the rampant speculation that would lead to the economic downfall of the country.
Conclusion
Adams was a contrary president, but one who stuck to his morals even when his own integrity was questioned. He went against the popular opinion of the time, causing him to be very unpopular with his Jacksonian rivals. The country at the end of his presidency was better off economically, but worse off socially due to the dreaded Terror of Abominations as well as the rampant sectionalism that only got worse during the course of his presidency. Even though he made some progress in the presidency, his staunch refusal to cooperate with popular opinion was somewhat unconstitutional, and he should have put the wants of the people before his own personal beliefs about what was best for the country. For this he earns a B-.
Adams, John Q. "John Quincy Adams: Inaugural Address." Address. Inauguration. Washington DC. The American Presidency Project. Web. 05 Oct. 2011.
DeGregorio, William A. "John Quincy Adams." The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents. 7th ed. Barricade, 2009. 89-102. Print.
Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, Thomas Andrew Bailey, and Thomas Andrew Bailey. "The Rise of a MAss Democracy." The American Pageant: a History of the Republic. 12th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002. 256-65. Print.